Mercer County Coalition for Restorative Justice evolved from an interfaith prison ministry housed at Trinity Church in Princeton. Many of the participants had been conducting pro­grams at the Mercer County Juvenile Detention Center, and all had a desire to do more for these troubled youth. Consensus was that an option was needed which would be "restorative" in design. It was recognized that in addition to punishing the offender, it was also important for him or her to accept respon­sibility and to make amends. Further, the "solution" should also heal the community, as well as, permit the victim to participate in the proccss of achieving redress of their injury.

Meetings were held with experts in the courts, juvenile justice, corrections, parole and the police both to acquire a better umderstanding of how the system currently operates and to determine whether there was a unique role for MCCRJ. After researching "restorative justice" projects in other States, it was realized that New Jersey was one of only a handful of States that did not have a program to bring juvenile offenders, victims and trained mediators together to determine accountability and restitution in a non-adversarial, supportive and respectful setting. The advantages are clear. The offender acknowledges guilt, accepts accountability, becomes aware of the conse­quences of his or her actions and works actively to repair the harm. All the while, he/she avoids a trial, a possible stay in the juvenile detention center and a criminal record. The victim bas an opportunity to voice their concerns and to be actively involved in the seeking of justice in their case. Finally, the communitv as a whole, which is also damaged by anti-social behavior, has the chance to correct the offender and heal itself.

During the initial years, relationships have been formed with Trinity Church (Princeton) and the New Jersey Association on Correction which have provided support for the growth and development of this organization.

Dorothy Moote

Founder